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Jun 13 Are You a Neat Freak?

Five of us friends went out for a bite. And it was a wonderful dinner. Delicious food. Interesting conversation. Somehow we ended up talking about order in our homes. Two friends confessed to being total neat freaks. They said that if there is a single toy out of place, they think about it, and feel stressed. They said they make their bed the moment they climb out of it in the morning, that they only feel comfortable leaving home when it is perfectly clean, and everything is in its rightful spot.

Three of us though sang a variation of a slightly different tune. We said that ideally we would like to be fellow members of the neat freak tribe, but that in reality we are a little more lax about the state of our homes. We said that we are not utter slobs, far from it actually, but that we have come to accept a little clutter here and there, the kind of clutter that seems to be part and parcel of a busy life.

Truth be told, it was a fascinating discussion. Not just for its content, but for its complete lack of judgment. We were quick to conclude that this was a matter of personality, that neither approach is necessarily better or worse. We also agreed that this is not just about domestic chaos or clutter, but about existential control.

Anyway, I thought it was worth bringing up here, this question of attitude toward order in our lives and in our homes. Because we all have ways of doing things, and seeing things, and organizing (or not organizing) them.

Are you more compulsive or laissez-faire when it comes to neatness in your home? In an ideal world, would you be more stringent or relaxed in your tidiness standards? Do you make your bed first thing every morning?